Somewhere Only We Know
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Teddy learns that friendships can be tested in different ways. When the town of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts get wind of his new friendship, will the rumors keep them apart?
1. A New Friend

_**LbN: Written for Kerantli's OC/HP challenge. Happy reading!  
**_

Teddy looked at himself in the mirror. It was a change, that was for sure. The pants were a bit tighter than he was comfortable with, but he assumed that just took some getting used to. The Hollyhead Harpies jersey wasn't as snug as Daniel's, but it still looked cool. He'd get some feedback in less than an hour anyway—there was no need to fuss over his looks. With another quick glance in the mirror, he turned his hair bright blue and headed out of the dorm. As he walked down the halls, he took care to dodge the two groups of students he usually hung out with. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team and a few Slytherins who had Potions with him waved to him, but he called, "I'll meet you!"

Andre Zabini ran over. "Where you going, mate? Thought you were going to come out to Hogsmeade with us."

"I am. You'll be in Honeydukes, yeah?"

"For a while."

"I just have to pick up a couple things for school before I join you. I won't be long."

"Sure mate, just make it quick. Donnie and Ion have a bet going about who can eat the most Cockroach Clusters without hurling."

Teddy laughed and walked with his friend down the stairs. As he walked down to the village with them, he only half listened to the conversation. He was thinking about the friend he was meeting—Daniel. The older wizard had promised to show him around the village properly—not just the shops the kids normally went to. With a smile, Teddy remembered the first time he'd met his new friend.

* * *

"_I can't put it off any longer," Teddy said. "My beater gloves are falling apart, and my bat is all but cracked in half. I need a new set."_

"_Er…Teddy?" Andre said. "You're loaded. What's the problem? Just go buy a new set for Merlin's sake!"_

"_Mum's trying to teach me to be careful with money," Teddy said with a sheepish grin. "She said Dad was always the good one with money. Doesn't want her bad habits rubbing off on me. It's made me a little paranoid."_

_Andre laughed as they stopped in front of the Quidditch supply store__. "Right, well I'll let you get on with it. Coraline said she wanted me to meet her for lunch at the Three Bs."_

"_See you, then." Teddy opened the shop door and almost walked out again. He'd come in, unnoticed, in the middle of the manager berating one of the shopkeepers. _

"_You're a good worker, Daniel," the man said in a softer, but condescending tone. "You just need to show more effort. I need to know I can depend on you. Understand?"_

_The look on Daniel's face showed that he quite clearly understood, and didn't think much of it. However, he sighed and said, "Right Mr. Bross. I'll do better."_

"_There's a good lad." Mr. Bross turned and spotted Teddy. "Can I help you, young man?"_

_Teddy had his mother's and grandmother's instant intuition about people, and already he hated this guy. Bross was a bully—probably someone who got picked on in school and spent the rest of his life taking it out on younger people. "Yeah, I came in to talk to Daniel, actually."_

"_Daniel? What do you need him for?"_

_The young man glared at Bross behind his back._

"_He's been helping me. I'm up at Hogwarts, you see, and I need a new Beater set. I've been owling with questions."_

"_Is that so?" Bross asked, voice laced with skepticism. "And what has he told you?"_

"_Well…" Teddy started. "He said that if I wanted something just to get the job done, I should go with the Nimbus line. But they're not really in the Beater business, so I'd be better off going with SparkWorks, if Quidditch is something I'm going to stick with. And if I had a little more money to spend, Axle makes really comfortable gloves and pads especially designed for Beaters."_

_Behind Bross, Daniel's glare had turned into a smile. He was obviously impressed with Teddy's Quidditch supply knowledge. _

"_Well," Bross said, a little thrown, "I guess he can help you then." He went to the back room and shut the door._

"_So," Daniel said with a smile, "What did all of my knowledge lead you to?"_

_Teddy grinned. "I'll go with the Spark set."_

_With a wave of his wand, Daniel __Summoned a box and wrapped it up. "Anything else?"_

"_No…that's all." _

"_You going back to school right after this?" Daniel asked as Teddy handed him some gold. _

"_No. We've got until three."_

"_Hang on for me. I get off in five minutes."_

_Teddy waited just outside the door until Daniel emerged. "I like your jacket."_

"_Dragonhide," Daniel told him. "Cost a fortune, but I've had it forever. Let's pop in here."_

_They went into the Three Broomsticks and sat down. There were a lot of Hogwarts kids there, but none Teddy knew personally._

"_So what's your name?" Daniel asked, waving the bartender over._

"_Teddy Lupin."_

"_Daniel Jones. Nice to meet you formally," he said, smiling. "Hey, thanks for the boost back there. Bross can be a little hard to handle at times."_

"_I kind of figured that."_

"_How old are you, Ted?"_

"_How old do I look?" Teddy asked. He didn't miss the use of his real name. He actually kind of liked it—it made him feel older._

"_Don't know. Fifteen…maybe sixteen."_

_Teddy nodded. "I'm fifteen. What about you?"_

"_Twenty-two. I was a Hufflepuff."_

"_Ravenclaw, but the Slytherin house is still trying to claim me…."_

_Daniel laughed. _

* * *

That day had been fun, if a little weird. They'd walked around the main part of Hogsmeade, finally stopping at the train station. They'd talked for a while, and Daniel had promised to write. Since then, not a day had passed without some form of communication between the two. Teddy would write about his Quidditch matches, or questions about lessons, and Daniel would write back with advice, or just comic strips he'd drawn. It had been a weird feeling at first, having a secret friend. Teddy would've thought he'd be telling everyone he knew. Hanging out with an older wizard, like a big brother, was sure to draw envy. But he'd found that he didn't want to. He liked hanging out with Daniel, and he wasn't ready to have his Hogwarts friends in on the situation just yet.

"Bye!" he called. "I'll meet you guys in an hour or so!"

He walked down one of the lanes between the shops and came out behind the Quidditch supply store. "Wotcher, Daniel."

Daniel nodded at him and tossed him a package, smiling. "Happy Christmas."

"And you," Teddy said, taking a small box out of his pocket. "I er… I didn't know what to get you really…."

"I'm sure it's awesome," Daniel said. "Come on. We've got a village to wander through. Tell me about your last match."

**_LbN: I'll have the next chapter up soon! Reviews rock!_**


	2. Christmas

**Somewhere Only We Know**

"Teddy!"

His mom's voice cut into his dreaming. He rolled over groggily, and looked at the clock. "Bollocks!" he said, flipping out of bed. He tried stripping and running to the bathroom at the same time and ended up falling on his face.

"Are you still in bed?" Tonks called.

"No, Mum! I'm almost ready!" he yelled, splashing water onto his body and toweling off. He wouldn't be the cleanest, but at least he could say he showered….

"Hurry! We need to leave in ten minutes!"

Teddy threw on some of his new clothes, complete with his Christmas present from Daniel—a dragon-hide jacket. When he got into the living room, his mum handed him an egg and cheese stuffed croissant. "Thanks," he said.

"No worries. Hold on tight to that—we're Apparating."

"Goodie…."

* * *

"Teddy!"

Teddy braced himself as James, Albus, and Lily came hurtling toward him. He managed to stay upright as they all did their best to tackle him.

"I did try to keep them calm," his godfather said.

"Hi Harry," Teddy gasped, struggling to regain his wind.

"Alright, you lot! Let the boy breathe," Ginny said, hugging Tonks. "Poor kid gets manhandled every time he visits."

"You look well," Harry said, hugging him. "Different…."

"I keep trying to figure out where he got the jacket…." Tonks said.

"I told you, it was a gift from a friend," Teddy told her.

"You have a friend that can afford dragon-hide clothes?" Ginny asked.

"He does go to school with Zabini," Harry said. "Come on; let's go into the living room. The kids are decorating the tree…. I'd say they need supervision."

They managed to decorate the tree without major incident (unless you count the part where the three Potter children decided to wrap Teddy in lights). By the time lunch rolled around, Teddy knew he was going to have to endure a heart to heart with Harry. There was a certain look the older wizard got whenever he felt he had to fulfill his duty as godfather, and he'd had that look all morning. It wasn't that Teddy disliked talking to him; he just didn't want to explain Daniel to anyone.

"Teddy and I have an errand to run," Harry said once everyone had finished their sandwiches. "We'll be back in a bit." He nodded toward the door and let Teddy walk out first.

"Where are we going?" the Ravenclaw asked.

"Just for a walk. You want to tell me about that jacket?"

"Nothing to tell," Teddy said, shrugging.

"You look a lot different. Older, I guess…. I don't know many kids at Hogwarts with…that particular sense of style."

Teddy sighed. He'd have to tell him. "It's not…exactly a student."

"What do you mean?"

With a sigh, Teddy began to explain the friendship he'd struck up with Daniel. To his intense frustration, Harry looked rather worried when he finished. "He's not weird or anything!"

"He just hangs out with kids…."

"He doesn't like being talked down to, and everyone his own age or older treats him like a kid. Nothing's… up with his head or anything."

Harry nodded, but still looked concerned. "Listen, I know you probably don't want to hear this…. Just be careful, okay? I don't know what to think about this guy. I've known people who are genuinely like what you described, and I've arrested people who trick kids into thinking that. Please don't go anywhere alone with him. Promise me?"

Teddy sighed. "I promise. But only if you promise not to tell anyone else. I don't want Magical Law Enforcement beating down his door just because he was nice to me," Teddy said morosely.

"I promise I won't call the cops on him, unless I have a reason," Harry said pointedly.

Knowing that that was the best he'd get, Teddy let the matter drop.

* * *

The owl tapped incessantly at the window. Teddy bounded over before it woke James up. He untied the letter from the bird and read Daniel's messy handwriting.

_**Sorry I couldn't write earlier, Ted. My aunt requested my full attention all day. Not hard, seeing as I have ten cousins who haven't seen me all year. Anyway, thanks for the necklace. I'm wearing it now. Hope the jacket fits. I'll see you on your next Hogsmeade visit. ~D**_

Teddy closed the letter and slipped it into his bag, smiling.

* * *

The Christmas holidays passed far too quickly. Harry saw Teddy back to the train station, as Tonks was off on a mission for the Auror department. Seeing as both of them were awful with keeping track of time, they barely made it to the station. "Remember what I said, Teddy?"

"I remember. I'll be careful."

"Right, then. Have a good term. Write me with the date of your next Quidditch match. I'd like to see one."

"Alright." Teddy got onto the train and found a compartment close by. Sticking his head out the window, he waved one last time to his godfather as the train began to pull away.


	3. The Whispers Begin

**Somewhere Only We Know**

The village was a little less packed with students this week. Most had opted to stay out of the rain. Teddy pulled his jacket over his head as he trudged through the mud to the Three Broomsticks. He ordered a mug of chocolate and a basket of chips and found a booth near the back of the pub.

The door opened again after his food was delivered and Daniel walked in. He looked glum, and not just because he was soaked from head to foot. "Hi there, Ted," he said, sitting down. He nodded at the waiter, who walked over. "Er, I'll take a cup of chocolate and a Cornish pasty. Thanks."

"So what's wrong?" Teddy asked when the waiter walked off. "You look like someone took all of your candy away."

"I got fired today."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Teddy said.

Daniel waved it off. "I knew it was coming. You know how lazy I am," he said, smiling and tousling Teddy's hair. "Plus…ah, nevermind."

"No, tell me. What is it?"

Daniel sighed. "You're intelligent, Ted. You know people have noticed us together. What do you think they're saying."

Teddy thought about his promise to Harry. "Yeah…but Bross shouldn't have fired you over gossip. I mean…it's not like…." He trailed off, blushing. "Anyway, they don't know you. You could be a friend of my godfather's, for all they know."

The waiter came with Daniel's food. The look he gave the twenty-two year old was not lost on either of them.

"You see? People have begun to talk."

"Come to my Quidditch match," Teddy said suddenly.

"…Ted, I don't think you've quite got the handle of this conversation…."

"No, think about it. If I get you cleared with Professor Brinson, you could come up. People can't think you're…odd… if you've been cleared to come up to school."

"Or, conversely, they could think that something is definitely going on if I'm invested enough to come up there. It's not a good idea, Ted."

Teddy shrugged and ate a few more fries. Thinking about his next plan of attack, he morphed a few times, finally settling on Daniel's light brown buzz cut, streaked with red and gold.

"Try black with silver and blue," Daniel said with a grin.

"I don't morph on command," Teddy said smiling. "Once people know you take requests it's just work, work, work to get people in line."

Daniel laughed.

They sat in silence, eating and avoiding each other's gaze. When they were finished, Teddy asked, "Do you want to…I don't know, walk to Honeydukes or something?"

"Got to save money now, but if you want to go…."

They walked along the high street and looked into the shop. It was crowded with Hogwarts students. "Forget it!" Teddy said above the rain.

"Listen, I have a letter to send. Let's go back to my place, and then we can hang around the joke shop until you have to go back. It's warm in there."

Teddy just nodded and followed him. They turned down a few different streets of the residential area of town, and made their way to a small house at the end of the row. They were walking up the steps before Teddy remembered his promise to Harry. He stopped on the bottom step.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked, tapping the door twice with his wand.

"Nothing," Teddy said. Everyone was being unfair to Daniel. He walked up the steps.

* * *

"Post's here!" one of the first years called.

"What's that, Teddy?" Andre asked.

An owl had dropped a package into Teddy's hands. "Don't know. Harry's coming today, so I can't see him sending me anything. Gran and Mum are on holiday in America." He flipped the box over and looked. It was from Daniel. "Ohhh…." Opening it, he found an assortment of cookies and snacks, with a note.

_I'm sorry, Ted. I can't come to see the game today. I just don't think it would be wise. Here are some snacks to celebrate with after you win. Write to me tonight and tell me how it went. ~D_

Teddy's heart sank a bit. He'd really hoped Daniel would change his mind, but he understood why he hadn't. "I'm going to run this up to my trunk. I'll meet you down on the pitch." He shoveled a few more bits of egg into his mouth before leaving the hall. He'd barely gone three steps when he heard someone call him. "Harry!"

"I was going to go straight to the pitch. I'm sitting with Flitwick and Neville. Good thing I caught you, though. Wanted to wish you good luck! Who's the package from? Tonks?"

"No…er…it's from Daniel. He made me some cookies and stuff. Since he couldn't come today."

"You invited him?" Harry asked, looking down at the package.

Teddy nodded. "But he didn't think it was a good idea. People…people have been talking."

"Hmm…well, I'll talk to you more after the game. See you on the pitch."

* * *

Daniel smiled brightly as he left Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Sure, the place was tacky, and smelled a little too strongly of lavender, but a job was a job. He hummed to himself as he walked back to his house, happy that the rain from the previous week had abated. As he approached his home, he slowed. There was a man sitting on his steps. Taking hold of his wand in his pocket, he walked forward. He relaxed a bit when he realized who it was. "Harry Potter."

"Daniel Jones?"

"That's me. You're Ted's godfather, right?"

"No one calls him Ted."

"I do."

The two men stood looking at each other for a minute.

Finally, Daniel spoke again. "Can I invite you in? I was about to put the kettle on anyway."

Harry nodded.

Daniel fixed the tea in silence. He put a plate of cookies out on the table and looked at Harry. "I'm not going to hurt Ted."

Harry sighed. "I want to believe that. I know _he _believes that."

"Look," Daniel started, running a hand over his hair. "I can't explain to you why we became friends. All I can tell you is that we are, and that's all we are. That's all I want to be."

Harry nodded. "Thanks for the cookies."

"No tea?"

"I need to head back."

Daniel nodded as he watched Harry leave. "Harry?"

The older wizard turned.

"I know you still don't trust me, but you should trust Ted. He's smart."

Harry nodded curtly and left.

With a sigh, Daniel poured himself a cup of tea.


	4. Things Fall Apart

**Somewhere Only We Know**

Teddy laughed as Andre and Marko argued over Chaser techniques. They walked down the steps to lunch and stopped.

"Teddy, mate…."

But Teddy was already running down the steps. "Harry! Mum! What's wrong?"

Harry and Tonks were standing in front of a small group of Magical Law Enforcement. They were talking to Headmistress Krane.

"Teddy…we need to talk to you," Tonks said.

"You can use my office," Krane said.

As they walked, Tonks kept a hand on Teddy's shoulder. Somehow, in the back of his mind and the pit of his stomach, he knew exactly what was happening. "Mum…."

"Not here, Teddy," she said. "Don't worry. Harry and I are here for you."

As soon as they were in the Headmistress's office, Teddy turned. "Enough. What's going on?"

"It's about your friend, Mr. Jones," one of the MLE members said.

"What's up with him? Is he hurt?"

"No. We've been getting calls, people saying they've seen you two about town. We wanted to know the nature of your relationship. A few people are quite concerned."

"A few nosy people who don't know how to stay out of other peoples' business," Teddy snapped.

"Teddy," Tonks said quietly. "You have to understand their concern."

"I don't have to understand anything. Daniel and I are JUST FRIENDS."

"And why would a twenty-two year old wizard want to make friends with someone who's still in school?" another wizard asked.

"It wasn't like he was scouting Honeydukes for kids to hang out with," Teddy argued. "I went into the Quidditch shop to get some things, and that's when I met him. Just because you don't have anything in common with anyone younger than you—"

"Teddy, enough," Tonks said. "They're just doing their job."

"Yeah, harassing my friend. Well you have my answer, and it's not changing. We're friends. You can't arrest him for that."

"Someone said they saw you go into his house," the first MLE wizard said.

"They're wrong," Teddy said. "I've never been in his house."

"So they were seeing things?"

"Bloody hell…The last Hogsmeade visit, I went _to_ his house, but I stayed outside, on the steps. He was in there for all of two minutes grabbing a letter to his aunt. I didn't go in."

The MLE members didn't look satisfied, but Harry stood at that moment. "Teddy has class. He's told you everything you asked."

"Right," one of them said. "We're done. Thank you, Mr. Lupin."

* * *

Teddy rummaged through his trunk as quietly as he could. He stuffed one more shirt into his bag, and pulled out a length of parchment. He'd already written a note and put it on Macmillan's end table. Now, he tapped the parchment in his hand with his wand and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He watched the map for another five minutes, taking mental pictures of where the ghosts were, where Peeves was, and where a few last Prefects were patrolling. Then, he tucked the map inside his jacket, picked up his bag, and made his way out of the dorm.

The halls were so quiet that he wished he had only worn socks. He didn't have time to take them off now though. He had to keep moving. He made his way through the secret passages, stopping every once in a while to check the map. Finally, he was at the statue he needed.

When he came out of the Honeydukes cellar a bit later, he prayed they didn't have any type of alarm spell on the place. He walked through, and thankfully, found he could get out the back door with a simple unlocking charm. "Guess Hogsmeade is usually a pretty trusting place," he mumbled. The night was cold as he walked through the empty streets of Hogsmeade. He hoped with every fiber of his being that Daniel hadn't left, or worse, been taken in for questioning. As he approached the house, he saw a lamp on in the living room. He ran the rest of the way, and knocked on the door.

"Ted?" Daniel said. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Teddy said. "I know it's not the best of ideas, but…I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Get inside," Daniel said.

Teddy walked in. The living room was a mess of boxes and suitcases. "You're leaving."

"I have to. I can't walk to get a carton of milk without people giving me dirty looks."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. If anything, it's mine. I know how people can be, and I know what this looks like. I should've…I don't know. But don't feel bad. I'm going to live in my parents' summer house."

"I'll help you."

"What are you talking about."

"I've left a letter. Today after Magical Law Enforcement talked to me—"

"Oh, so you got a visit as well? Lovely."

"After they talked to me, I went to my professors and got my work for three days. I said I felt ill, and didn't know if I'd make it to class. I can leave—help you move."

"And if you go anywhere with me, they'll really think I've done something to you."

"But you won't."

Daniel looked at him for a long moment. "You know…you're the first real friend I've had in a while. I've friends my age as well, but none of them are quite as…attached."

"I'm not harboring any delusions of marrying you or anything," Teddy said with a smirk. "So don't worry."

Daniel laughed. "Fine. I'm going to regret this, but fine."

* * *

Harry awoke with a start. Someone was ringing the doorbell incessantly. He rolled over to look at the clock. Seven o'clock on a Saturday? That was inhuman! It had better be good….

"Harry…what is that? Make it stop, for Merlin's sake," Ginny mumbled.

Harry stumbled out of bed, ignoring his children's whining for a moment. He shot a stunning spell at the portrait of Mrs. Black and opened the door. "Tonks! What—"

"Teddy's gone," she said.

Harry snapped awake at that. "What?"

"His friend found a note when he woke up this morning. Teddy's gone, and so is Daniel."

"Wait here," Harry said. "I'll go get dressed."


	5. The Return

**Somewhere Only We Know**

"Tonks, breathe," Harry ordered.

"I am."

"No, you're hyperventilating. There's a difference. We know Teddy's still alive and well. He's been sending in his homework for Merlin's sake."

Tonks gave a small snort. "Let it never be said that my child is a slacker…. I just don't understand."

Harry sighed. "He's strong willed—like his entire family. And he knew we were probably going to interrogate Daniel. There's no way Daniel could've gotten into the castle to take him, so he had to have left on his own," he said with a small pang of guilt. Teddy wouldn't have been able to leave without the Map. He remembered Remus telling him that his, Harry's, father would've been disappointed had Harry not found some of the secrets of the school. It was this memory that had made him give the Map to Teddy in the first place. That thought didn't comfort him now. "Listen, his teachers said he got his homework for three days. That means he's planning on coming back soon."

"_He _is, but _Daniel_ may not have the same plans."

Harry had thought of that already. "Tonks, we've both talked to him. We both know how to read people. Daniel told me no less than five times that he would never hurt Teddy. I don't think he will. We just have to wait for them to track the owl that's sending in Teddy's work."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

It was lucky that "Floo" was the same in every language, because Teddy had no clue how to translate. After dropping a few pieces of silver onto the counter and receiving his bag of green powder, he took a few deep breaths. It had been three days since he'd left the school. He didn't know what to expect, besides lots of talks with Magical Law Enforcement. Would he be expelled for running off? He shuddered and put it out of his mind. He was fifteen—nearly sixteen—and he'd have to face the consequences for his choice, whatever they were. With one last deep breath, he tossed the green powder into the fireplace. "Three Broomsticks—London!" he said.

"Oi! Clarky! That's him!"

Teddy found himself surrounded by men with wands. They took hold of him and led him into the busy street. He saw people staring as they marched with him up to the gates. His fear mounted when he saw his mum, Harry, and Headmistress Krane waiting for him.

"Teddy!" Tonks cried, running toward him. She pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

"Let go of him, Tonks," Harry said quietly. He put a hand on Teddy's shoulder. "We're going to the Ministry. They need to talk to you."

All Teddy could do was nod. He held his mother's hand tightly as they Disapparated. When he opened his eyes again, he noticed that they were in an office. His mum's office. "Mum…."

"It's best if you take a moment to relax, young Master Lupin," one of the MLE members said soothingly. He tapped the teapot on Tonks's desk and poured Teddy a cup. "We're not here to…er…get you into trouble. You already know that running away from school was wrong. But you'll have to take that up with Krane. All we want to know is that you're okay. Tell us what happened."

Teddy took a sip of tea. Harry and Tonks stood behind him, each with a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine; you should know that first. After I got my work from my teachers, I went back to Ravenclaw tower. Everyone was still in class, so I packed my books in a bag and got into bed. I slept until dinner. While everyone was in the Great Hall, I packed some clothes. Wrote a note for my mates to find, and then I waited."

"How did you get out of the castle?" another member asked. This one wasn't as friendly as the first. He obviously thought Teddy was wasting their time.

"I…er…well, if you must know, I followed one of the teachers. They patrol the grounds on their last round. One of them left through the front, and I slipped out after him. I went down to Hogsmeade and found Daniel. He was packing when I got to his house. I wanted to help him. It was my fault all this happened. He tried to get me to go back to school, but I wouldn't leave. He finally gave in and let me come along, but he tried to convince me to come back every day."

"And where is he now?"

Teddy paused, looking around at all of them. "I can't tell you that. I'm sorry. He's a good guy, and I don't want anyone messing with him. He didn't hurt me at all, so there's no need for you to arrest him."

"He took you out of the country."

"What makes you think that?"

"Then he didn't?"

"You're trying to make me give something away. It won't work. I'm not telling you where he is."

"He took you away from those who have guardianship over you," the grumpy one said.

"No, he didn't technically. I left the castle on my own, without his knowledge."

The entire squad sighed and grumbled.

"Son," the grumpy one said. "I can make you, if you don't cooperate."

"The hell you can," Tonks interjected.

"And he has cooperated," Harry said. "He's answered you honestly, and in great detail."

The MLE wizard took out his wand. "If he refuses to tell me, I will be forced to take his memories. He's obstructing our investigation."

Tonks pulled Teddy's chair back a few feet (impressive, since the fifteen year old was quite heavy) and stepped in front of him, her own wand raised. "As your superior officer, I'm ordering you to put your wand away. NOW. No one is allowed to take memories during interrogation without the consent of the person being interrogated. Or his parents," she added pointedly. "Leave."

The wizards left, the grumpy one throwing her a nasty look as he exited.

Teddy stood and hugged her. "You didn't have to… I hope you don't get in trouble for that."

"What I did was well within my rights. And even if it wasn't, he was NOT going to go digging through your head while Harry and I were here."

"Take them though," Teddy said. "My memories. I'm okay with you seeing them."

Tonks glanced at Harry. "Are you sure? We believe you, you know."

"I know. But still."

Tonks nodded and gently placed her wand at Teddy's head. A strand of silvery substance came away with the wand, and she placed it in a vial. "I'm going to take you back now," she said. "Harry?"

"I'll stay," he said, taking the vial of memories from her.

* * *

As Teddy walked up the hill towards the gates with his mum, he stayed perfectly silent. He wasn't sure how long it would take for her to get properly mad at him.

"Your father would've done the same…or rather, something equally boneheaded," Tonks said, smiling and thinking of all the stories Remus had told her. She wondered, too, about the ones he hadn't had time to tell her. She sighed, knowing she had to finish this talk with her son. "I'm not saying this to excuse you. You ever make me worry like that again, and I swear I'll let Great-aunt Narcissa have you for a summer of elegance training." She smiled widely at Teddy's horrified grimace. She would never in a million years sign him over to her aunt, but it was good to have something tangible to threaten him with. "But you should know…I understand. Now, Headmistress Krane is expecting you to write apologies to all of your teachers for lying to them, and you'll be working one night a week for each of them for the rest of the year."

"THE REST OF THE YEAR?"

"You ran off from the castle, Ted," Tonks said sternly. "You're lucky they aren't expelling you."

Teddy flinched. Her using his real name was a totally different experience from Daniel using it. "Okay."

"Also…you're off the Quidditch team until next year."

At this, Teddy nearly fainted. "But…couldn't I just…do more work? Or clean toilets? Or write lines every morning at breakfast? Or they can take my meals away? Anything!"

"She's said that you'll be allowed to stay with the team, and practice, but you will not play."

Mind reeling, Teddy noticed that they had reached the gate. "Mum?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know if I'll survive."

Tonks laughed. "You will. And you'll be wiser in your sixth year, won't you? Go on up," she said as the gates opened. "Krane's waiting for you."

Teddy nodded and walked through the gate. As it closed he called to her, "I'm sorry."

Tonks nodded. "I know. I love you."

"I love you too."


	6. Somewhere Only We Know

**Somewhere Only We Know**

The morning of graduation, the Great Hall looked superb. Each of the house banners were suspended in the air above the dining students, the windows had been scrubbed clean, and suits of armor each carried a shield with the Hogwarts crest, rather than their plain iron ones.

Each of the graduates had on their regular school robes, freshly laundered, and silk scarf the color of their house. The ceremony would be simple- first Headmistress Krane would speak. Then Torrice, a Hufflepuff and the top of their year, would speak. Deputy Headmaster Brinson would declare them graduates of Hogwarts, and then…the parties. Teddy already had six different ones lined up. Four House parties, a Quidditch party, and then two Hufflepuffs and a Gryffindor were throwing an "invitation only" party on the Astronomy Tower. He still wasn't sure how they were going to pull that off….

"Morning, mate," Andre said as Teddy sat down to breakfast.

"Last one in the castle," Teddy said.

"It's weird, innit?"

"A little." Teddy looked up as the mail owls began swooping into the hall. With a smile, he remembered how terrified he'd been the first time he'd witnessed this. Now, as a large barn owl deposited a package in front of his plate, he simply offered it a scrap of hash brown and watched it fly away.

"Who's it from?"

Teddy stared down at the package. Was Daniel crazy? They had a strict "Don't Do Anything to Remind Anyone of Us Going AWOL" rule. That included sending packages to one another. Oh well. "It's from Daniel."

"Run away Daniel?"

"Know any others?" He opened the box to find a smaller wooden box inside. It was a beautiful dark case with a glass front. Inside of it was a snitch. Next to the case, a letter was poking up. Teddy opened it and read:

_**Yes, I know we're only supposed to send packages at Christmas. And yes I know you're a Beater. As to the former, it's your graduation, so get over it. As to the latter, I wanted to send you a Bludger from the **__**game, but someone had already bought it. Plus, the case would've been enormous, and I don't have that much shipping money. Anyway, the Snitch is from the Wilbourne Wasps championship game last year. The program on the side of the case is autographed by Seeker Lothgarious Argyle. Hope you like it. Write to me about next week. ~D**_

With a smile, Teddy folded the parchment and tucked it back into the box. Andre was looking at him expectantly. He held up the case for him to see. "It's my graduation present."

"Wicked."

* * *

The next three days passed in a blur. Between graduation parties, packing, moving out of Hogwarts, moving into his new apartment… by the time Friday rolled around, Teddy was exhausted. He'd packed a small suitcase the day before. Now all that was left was to send an owl to his mum.

_Hi Mum. _

_I've unpacked everything, and no, I'm not eating cookies every night. Grandmum Weasley insisted I come over last weekend for cooking lessons. So far, I can only make pasta and green beans, but I'm working on it…. _

_I wanted to let you know that I'll be out of town for about a week. Daniel's invited me to stay with him for a bit. I won't be gone long. The Cardiff Dragons want me to try out for Beater! I'll be back in plenty of time to rest and train for my try out. I'll owl you when I get there. Love you. ~T_

He smiled, knowing Grandmother Andromeda would hear about this. His mum had wanted him to move back in, but the older Tonks had preemptively ruled that out buy paying a twelve-month lease on a flat for him as a graduation present. Total freedom. "Oswald," he called softly. His owl flew over from his perch. "Take this to Mum for me. Stay with her for the week." He walked the owl to the window and watched it fly off. With a yawn, he walked back into the living room, picked up his bag, and Disapparated.

* * *

Tonks folded Teddy's letter and held an Owl Treat out to Oswald. Sipping her tea, she debated going in to work, or going to see Harry. She settled on the latter as she finished her breakfast.

* * *

"Oh, Merlin," Ginny said, "I just walked in on Auror Talk, didn't I?"

Tonks laughed as Harry just stared at his wife, confused.

"I can always tell. The pair of you finish each other's sentences when you're talking about cases, and you look constipated."

Tonks just laughed harder. "It's about Teddy, actually. I was just asking Harry about the memories he gave him two years ago."

"Ohhh," Ginny said, nodding and waving her wand. Sandwiches began making themselves on the counter. "After the Incident?"

"Exactly. Teddy left to see Daniel last night."

Ginny just quirked an eyebrow.

"I know," Tonks said. "I'm trying not to worry."

"Is it working?"

"Actually yes. He's of age now, so if anything were to happen…."

"But just so both of you don't go spinning into panic;" Harry said with a smirk, "I'm pretty sure he's fine. I kept the memories. You can see them if you want."

Tonks paused, taking the sandwich Ginny offered. Then she shook her head. "No," she said, smiling slightly. "I don't need to."

* * *

Teddy wiggled his toes in the sand he watched a group of teens play Frisbee. His head snapped up as he felt something cold drip onto his head.

"Sorry," Daniel said, grinning. He handed Teddy one of the green slushies he was holding.

"Did you get the non-alcoholic ones _again_?"

Daniel laughed. "Course I did. I don't need you taking any bad habits back to London with you. They put vodka in it, anyway, and that shit's disgusting."

"Just because you had one bad night in Lisbon…"

"I'm traumatized, okay?" Daniel said, smiling.

Teddy laughed and sat up a little. "I go back tomorrow."

"I know. Cardiff Dragons, right?"

"Right…. If I make the team, will you come to Wales to see me play?"

"Of course I will," Daniel said without hesitation. He raised his glass and tapped it lightly against Teddy's. "Cheers."

Teddy smiled and drank, intent on enjoying his last night in Portugal.

**_Fin_**

* * *

_I walked across an empty land  
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand  
I felt the earth beneath my feet  
Sat by the river and it made me complete_

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?  
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
So tell me when you're gonna let me in  
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

I came across a fallen tree  
I felt the branches of it looking at me  
Is this the place we used to love?  
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?  
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
So tell me when you're gonna let me in  
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute, why don't we go  
Talk about it somewhere only we know?  
This could be the end of everything  
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?  
Somewhere only we know

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?  
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
So tell me when you're gonna let me in  
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute, why don't we go  
Talk about it somewhere only we know?  
This could be the end of everything  
So why don't we go? So why don't we go?

Oh, this could be the end of everything  
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?  
Somewhere only we know  
Somewhere only we know


End file.
